Seed-corn grader.



3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES til/W ATTORNEYS WITNESSES C. HUNNICUTT.

SEED CORN GRADER.

APPLICATION mum DEC. 2, 1909.

Patented May 14, 1912 3 BHEETSBHEET 2.

INVENTOR 01175255 Hu/v/v/curr,

' ATTORNEYS cOLUMRIA PLANUGRAI'I! c0.. WASIIINO'Iu. .0

G. HUNNICUTT. SEED CORN GRADER. APPLICATION FILED D110. 2, 1909.

1,026,265. Patented May 14, 1912.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WITNESSES /Zf/Mq. W

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COLUMBIA I'L'VJOGIIAI'H CU.,WASIIINOTON. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES HUNNICUTT, OF WILMINGTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE CHARLES HUNNI-CUTT COMPANY, OF CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

SEED-CORN GRADER.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES HUNNI- CUTT, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of Wilmington, in thecounty of Clinton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Seed-Corn Graders, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention is an improvement in that class of corn graders in whichtwo perforated screens are employed, one being arranged above the otherand both supported and held in a suitable frame adapted to be held andmanipulated manually.

The novel and distinguishing feature of this present invention is theconstruction of the two frames in which the perforated screens are heldin such manner that they are readily separable, means being provided forholding them detachably.

The details of construction, arrangement and operation of parts will behereinafter described and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings,in which:

Figure'l is a perspective view, showing the two parts of the graderseparated from each other; Fig. 2 is a side view of the grader; and Fig.3 is a vertical cross section of the same on line 33 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4is a perspective view of a modification; and Fig. 5 is a cross sectionof the same on line 55 of Fig. 4:.

I will first describe the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 3. The upper ortop screen A is constructed of sheet metal and attached to the underside of a rectangular. frame composed of side bars 1 and end bars 2. Thelower screen B is attached to the under side of a frame which inclosesthree sides, or, in other words, is open on the front side. Said frameis composed of the side bars 3 and end bar 4. The upper screen A iscorrugated lengthwise and provided with a series of rows of elongatedrectangular openings a. The lower screen B is also corrugated andprovided with a series of rows of narrow rectangular openings 6 andcircular openings 1). When the two parts of the grader are connected asshown in Fig. 2, the upper frame and screen are seen to be considerablyshorter than the lower one and that the outer portion of the lowerscreen B is imperforate where it eX- tends beyond the upper frame. Itwill be further seen that the side and rear end Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed December 2, 1909.

Patented May 14, 1912.

Serial No. 531,055.

bars of the upper frame lie directly upon the corresponding bars of thelower frame. The two portions of the grader are connected by means whichpermit them .to be readily detached or separated from each other. Inthis instance I prefer to employ hooks 5 which are pivoted to the sidebars 1 of the upper screen frame and adapted to engage eyes 6 fixed inthe side bars 3 of the lower screen frame. For the purpose of holdingthe two frames so that one cannot move laterally or endwise upon theother, I provide dowels 8 which are fixed in the lower frame and entercorresponding holes or sockets in the side bars of the upper frame. Theframes and screens are made separable in order to permit the convenientand speedy removal of seeds which may have become wedged in theperforations of the screens. The upper screen will hinder the passagethrough its perforations of kernels which are abnormally thick andirregular in form, and hence not well adapted to be used as seed. Theabnormally thin kernels which may be of maximum width will pass throughboth screens. The kernels which may have a suitable or desirablethickness and yet are too narrow will pass through both screens. Thenormal kernels which are best adapted for seed and which pass readilythrough the perforations a of the upper screen will be intercepted bythe lower screen and thus be saved for seed. Thus the upper frame whichserves as a hopper receives the corn to be graded and when the operationis completed those kernels which are found free on the lower screen willbe of the uniform size and shape desirable for use as seed. Thus it willbe seen that the upper screen grades for thickness and irregularity ofwidth of kernels, while the lower screen grades for thinness of kernels.The circular openings 1) of the lower screen grade for width of kernelsand the narrower oblong openings 1) allow the passage through them ofbroad kernels that are abnormally thin. It is essential that theopenings in the upper screen shall be of greater length than thediameter of the circular openings 6 of the lower screen, but no greaterwidth.

In the modification shown in Figs. 4 and 5 the upper screen is attachedto a rectangular frame as in the previously described form of theinvention, but the lower screen B is constructed with integral metalsides 9 and 10 having the top edge inturnedto form a flange 11.The'upper screen frame is slidable endwise in the lower frame 9, 10, 11,and is thus removable at theopen end of the latter.

What Iclaim' is:

1. In a corn grader, an upper rectangular frame, and a screen attachedat its edges beneath the frame and having coarse perforations extendinglongitudinally thereof'; combined with a lower'frame comprising an end.pi'ece standing beneath one end of the upper frame'and two side piecesstanding beneath its sides and projecting beyond their otherends, asecond screen at tached to the three parts of this lower frame providedwith finer perforations e22 tending longitudinally thereof and located"below the" perforated area of the upper screen, an imperforate portionof said secand screen extending beyond the end of the upper screen andbetween the projecting portions of the side pieces of the lower frametoform'a spout, and means for detachably connecting the two frames.

2. The corn grader formed of two separable parts, to wit, a lower metalperforated screen having its sides and rear end 30 extended upward andprovided with a bent top flange, and an upper perforated screen having'arectangular frame adapted to slide in the lower one, substantially asshown and described.

3. In a corn grader, the combination with upper and lower rectangularscreens corrugated longitudinally and in parallelism and havingdifferently sized perforations extendinglongitudinally in the valleys of4 their 'corrugations, the lower screen being continued beyond theupperat one end into a corrugated imperforate spout; of a frame, in twoparts detachably connected, upperinclosing the perforated area of the 45upper screen and rising above it, and the lower part connecting one endand both edges of the lower screen and projecting forward to form thesides of said spout.

CHARLES HUNNICUTT.

Witnesses:

C. E. KINZEL, H. Gr. CARTWRIGHT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five centseach, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

